Cruise Search

Search Cruise Deals

Reviews

Answers

Photos

Videos

SEARCH

Answer

BLYTH - Answered a Question by Armstrong (14 Jul 08 18:00)

It will be much cheaper with 4 picking up transrort when you come off the ship. My warning though is if you use this and the taxi runs into a problem the ship won't wait for you and its your responsibility to get to the next port where you can re-board your ship, but it will be a lot cheaper.

I have done this great cruise on Galaxy last year. The best advise is plan! If a cruise tour appeals to you, then every taxi driver in every port knows the cruise tours by heart. Messina Personal choice is Tiamina, about 40 mins by cab & they wait however long you stay & return you to ship. Wherever you decide don't take the white taxi's which lurk in the dock compound. Cross the road & get a black & yellow cab. Cheaper & far less aggressive in their sales pitch. Athens. Plenty of cabs as ship docks in Piraeus, negotiate, walk away, negotiate again. Mykonos. No need , tender takes you straight to Little Venice. Kusadasi. Same score as Athens. Santorini. Tender takes you to Cable Car station or Donkey Ride (or you can walk, not for the elderly/unfit)to the top of cliff. Cable Car queue can be horrendous particularly if 2 or 3 ships are in at once. Naples. Plenty has been written if you look through the the next 2 or 3 pages, with loads of advise for the DIY tours. Great cruise, but if it's your first, you'll be spoiled by service & food.

I missed out Rhodes. The ship docks a couple of hundred yards from the entrance to Old Town, which is well worth a look. This paranoia by some about missing the boat is a valid point, but as I've written before, in 60 cruises, I/we have never once been late back at the ship, & for every 100,000 people who regularly do there own tours, I'd like to the figures for those who miss the boat. Insignificant I bet!

Wilba, Nobody disagrees that on many occasions it is best to do one's own thing but it is the blanket nature of the advice that I object to. One of the 'Oracles' on this site was advising two elderly widowed ladies to do their own thing in Naples which my Italian friend thought was scandalous. Equally the advice about Santorini is fine if all you want to do is go to Thira but if you want to see the gem of the island, Oia it is more convenient to take an organised trip - and again to ignore the 'Oracles' advice of taking a local bus when most ships are only there for four hours and as you say the cable car queues can be horrendous. Equally if people have always set their hearts on going into St Peters at Rome, it is more sensible to take an organised trip and avoid the two hour queues. So please no more of this blanket advice and remember that some people are more comfortable getting on a coach with a tour guide explaining the sights even if this costs them more and they are in a group of 50. There are often two sides to an issue not just an over simplistic approach that its cheaper, better and I've done it for years so it must be right for yo too!!

I think you had better have a re read Williams. The majority of questions asked about tours is 'can I do them on my own' as was the question in this case. The simple answer to that is Yes You Can! I have stated on numerous occasions that a DIY day trip to Rome is not for the inexperienced & not once have I encouraged anyone to do it off their own back. Personally I wouldn't attempt it in a day as I know how arduous it is. People can take whatever type of tour they like, be it cruise or taxi, but once bitten twice shy, they don't like the price & feel they've been ripped off. It's the most common complaint on most of the reviews on this site, that's why they ask the question. Because I took exception to your criticism of people who try to save money by not going 'organised cruise tours' on a previous question, you thought you'd have a stab back, fair enough, wild horses wouldn't get me on one though, even if you were paying. As to the 2 elderly ladies in Naples, I've been back many pages, found nothing & have no recollection whatsoever.

I have already responded to your post, but it’s obviously held by the moderators, so in case it doesn’t appear, I’ll try again. This question was asked, as many are, by people who DON’T want to take an organized tour for many reasons. I am not imposing my view on that subject but merely answering the question, Can we do the tours by taxi? Yes you can. The Elderly Ladies you refer to I have no recollection whatsoever, as I've never ADVISED anyone to do a tour of Naples. I accept your comments about Santorini , but I have always stated that a DIY tour of Rome is not for the inexperienced as I know how arduous it can be, so maybe a re read on your part might a good idea. The real crux of your response is because I challenged your statement about people who save money by not taking an organized cruise tour on a previous question. The inference came across as, people who don’t want the company of 50 or 60 coach passengers are some kind of cheapskate. Not the case at all. You wouldn’t get me, & many more I know, on a coach, not even if you were paying.

I agree that you are on your own if there is a problem. My friend was on a cruise and went to Rome. On the way back the taxi broke down. A coach picked them up and dropped them at the port gate ,as they could not go any further.The local taxi took them to the ship and it had cast off. The pilot boat took them and it broke down >they had to pay £500 each to fly to next port and also they had no clothes and only a credit card!! Be warned.